Wendy's holds pork suppliers accountable for animal welfare efforts

Feb. 4, 2014

Wendy's announced that it will now require its suppliers to produce quarterly reports regarding their ability to provide pork produced without the use of gestation crates. According to a news release, the cages used to house breeding pigs are too restrictive.

The Humane Society of the United States applauded the announcement, which follows a 2012 commitment made by Wendy's to eliminate the cages from the company's American and Canadian supply chains.

Wendy's states on its website:

"In 2013, Wendy's met on multiple occasions with pork industry representatives and outside experts to continue work towards our stated goal of sourcing only from gestation stall-free pork suppliers. As a part of this commitment, we now require every raw material and finished product supplier to submit quarterly progress reports that reflect the percentage of stall-free pork supplied to Wendy's."

Wendy's is one of 60 food companies that have mandated an end to gestation crates in their supply chains.

"We appreciate that Wendy's and other food companies are walking the walk when it comes to their commitments to eliminate a cruel system that's simply out of step with how people think animals ought to be treated," said Josh Balk, HSUS' director of food policy. "There's clearly no future for gestation crates in pork production."